Door Gods

The most widely told Door God legend originates in the Tang Dynasty.

Emperor Taizong of Tang, having waged many wars and overseen heavy bloodshed, was tormented after his enthronement by ghostly cries seeking vengeance. He could not sleep, his court physicians offered no remedy, and his ministers stood helpless.

Hearing of this, Generals Qin Shubao and Yuchi Gong volunteered to stand fully armored at either side of the imperial chamber doors all through the night. From that night onward, no ghost dared approach, and the emperor at last rested. But after several nights of sleepless guarding, both generals grew exhausted.

Unwilling to subject his loyal commanders to further hardship, Taizong commanded his court painters to depict the two generals in full armor and pasted these portraits on his bedchamber doors. The ghosts kept their distance, and the emperor enjoyed peace ever after. The story spread, and commoners began affixing painted images of the two generals to their own doors. Over a thousand years later, the custom of pasting Door Gods at Lunar New Year endures.

An earlier Door God tradition appears in the *Shanhaijing*: on Mount Dushuo in the Eastern Sea grew a massive peach tree, beneath which the two divine generals Shentu and Yulei stood watch over demons. Any malicious ghost troubling the human world would be seized and fed to a tiger. Ancient households painted these two on their doors, gradually evolving into the diverse Door God traditions seen today.

Both lineages persist in folk practice, but Qin Shubao and Yuchi Gong, with their compelling backstory and vivid martial imagery, became Taiwan's most popular Door God representations.

Traditional household Door God posters are typically affixed before Lunar New Year. After the "Sending Off the Gods" day on the 24th of the 12th lunar month and before New Year's Eve, the old Door God posters are torn down and burned, while new ones are pasted up — symbolizing renewal and welcoming auspicious fortune. The two figures must face inward toward each other; if pasted facing outward, folk belief holds the protective power is lost.

Temple Door Gods are hand-painted onto wooden doors and require no daily ritual, but every few years to a decade, master painters are commissioned to restore or repaint them. During major temple renovations, an "Eye-Opening Ceremony" (Kaiguang) is sometimes performed using vermillion ink to dot the eyes — symbolically endowing the painted gods with spiritual presence.

Folk tradition holds that if a household experiences misfortune or unease, a Taoist priest may be invited to perform a ritual before new Door Gods are pasted, to expel impurity and restore peace.

When entering temples, devotees pass respectfully through the gate where Door Gods stand watch — pausing or stepping on the threshold is considered improper. Some temples observe the convention of men entering on the left and women on the right, corresponding to the positions of the two martial Door Gods.

**Lunar New Year (Door God replacement period)**: Traditionally, Door God posters are replaced between the "Sending Off the Gods" day on the 24th of the 12th lunar month and New Year's Eve. This is one of the central rituals of the Taiwanese household year-end cleaning and decoration, alongside spring couplets, red envelopes, and the reunion dinner.

**Temple Door God Restoration Events**: In recent years, the Ministry of Culture and various municipal cultural departments have actively promoted restoration of traditional temple paintings. Some temples hold opening ceremonies after restoration, inviting the public to view newly restored Door God paintings. Notable examples include Bangka Longshan Temple, Dalongdong Baoan Temple, and Lukang Longshan Temple.

**Special Note**: Door Gods do not have a unified birthday celebration. As "functional" deities, their worship is incorporated into the broader rituals of their host temple or household — folk tradition rarely holds a celebration dedicated solely to Door Gods.